Georgian Delegation Head to PACE rules out early elections before 2028

Tea Tsulukiani, head of Georgia’s parliamentary delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), reaffirmed that no new parliamentary elections will be held in Georgia before 2028. Speaking to PACE’s Monitoring Committee, Tsulukiani declared, “This is not planned. My statement should not come as a surprise to them, even if they do not like it. This is our collective position.”

Tsulukiani emphasized that the majority of the Georgian Dream party, backed by Georgian voters, supports this decision. “Elections have already been held, and those who won, won,” she said, offering condolences to the opposition and certain NGOs she accused of attempting to push for early elections or delegitimize the current government.

According to her, the Monitoring Committee debated two scenarios: either immediately release Georgia’s delegation in the assembly, as proposed by the opposition, or conditionally ratify the current delegation’s credentials with significant reservations. Tsulukiani highlighted that the letter option was chosen, adding these conditions do not include the release of former President Mikheil Saakashvili or the recognition of Salome Zourabichvili as a legitimate president.

Tsulukiani further announced plans to propose amendments to the Monitoring Committee’s recommendations, which are set to be discussed in PACE’s plenary session on January 28. “We are reviewing these conditions and will share our positions on each tomorrow. We have secured the support of several delegations today for our proposed amendments, which will be registered immediately and debated during tomorrow’s session,” she said.